(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to gutter clearers and more particularly to the type of gutter clearers that are hand held and operated by an individual from ground level.
(2) Prior Art
It has been found necessary to clean leaves and other debris from rain gutters of buildings. Should the debris not be cleared from the gutters, the gutters will not function to remove rain falling upon the roof and to direct the accumulated water to desired areas. The current method of clearing gutters is for a person to climb to the roof of a house and sweep the gutters clean with an ordinary broom. This method of cleaning the gutters has been found to be awkward and/or dangerous. The individual cleaning the gutter performs the task while standing on a ladder or the roof.
Many attempts have been made to provide gutter clearers that can be operated by an individual from the ground in order to avoid the necessity of working in a dangerous position. U.S. Pat. No. 3,972,552 discloses a gutter clearer having two jaws which are urged in the open position by a spring and which are closed by pulling the jaws together with a cable. The jaws include a series of elongated spikes which extend from the jaws and which engage the debris. A problem with the device disclosed in this patent is that the teeth tend to pierce and engage the debris and make it difficult to remove the debris from the spikes whereby the debris could not be removed without lowering the device to the ground.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,896,239 discloses a gutter clearing apparatus which includes an elongated handle for operation by an individual from the ground. At one end of the handle there is included a conventional broom which is used to sweep the gutter. However, with this device, the leaves are not grasped and removed from the gutter and cannot be removed if wet, but rather, are swept out of the gutter.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,720,409 discloses a gutter clearer which includes a pair of tong elements which are cammed open by a roller. The roller is operated by a lever rotatably fixed to the tong elements. The gutter clearer is complicated and requires many moving parts.
During the use of the aforementioned prior art devices, it has been found that the devices are difficult to use when obstructions such as shrubs or secondary lower roofs are positioned between the wall of the house and the individual wishing to clean the gutter directly above the obstruction.
Thus, it is one object of the invention to provide a simple gutter clearing device which allows for removal of debris from a rain gutter.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a gutter clearing device which is of simplified construction.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a gutter clearing device which allows for operation by an individual from the ground below the gutters.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a gutter clearing device which allows for the gutters to be cleared despite obstructions such as bushes or the like positioned near the wall of the building directly below the gutter to be cleaned.